North Texas Children Found Malnourished and Living in a Dog Cage

One Texas Sherriff said it was the worst case of child abuse they had ever seen.

Over in Rhome, Texas local sheriffs were called about a possible domestic disturbance. When police showed up they could hear children's voices coming from a nearby barn. Police found four children inside, ages ranging from one to five years old. The two oldest children were locked inside of a dog cage.

Sheriffs said the children looked very malnourished. The barn had plenty of food inside of it for them to eat according to the reports. However, they were inside of locked cabinets with no way for the children to unlock them. The other two children not in the dog cage were filthy and only partially clothed.

The two parents were arrested and charged with four counts of criminal child endangerment. The mother Paige Isabow Harkings was also charged with aggravated assault. Andrew Joseph Fabila is the father to one of the children, Harkings is the mother to all four of the children.

Marissa Gonzales, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said the agency has had contact with the family before, but at a different location. She said the children were being evaluated at the hospital and for the time being were not in state custody.